Excessive-electrical-current arrester.



M. E. VAUGHN.

EXGESSIVE ELECTRICAL CURRENT ARRESTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9, 1909.

Patented Jan. 24, 1911.

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, adapted for use in connection with tele-' MARION E. VAUGHN, OFPLAINFIELD INDIANA.

EXCESSIVE-ELECTBICAL-CURRENT ARRESTED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 24, 1911.

Application filed August 9, 1909. Serial No. 512,068.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ll'IARION E. VAUGHN, of Plainficld, county ofHendricks, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and usefulExcessive Electrical Current Arrester; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters refer tolike parts.

The object of this invention is to provide a very simple, cheap and yetefiicient device for arresting lightning, or diverting to the ground anexcessive charge of electricity. It is particularly arran ed and phones,telegra hs and the like.

The nature 0 the invention will be understood from the accompanyindrawings and the following description and claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device mounted inconnection with conductors partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a centralvertical section through the device on the same plane as the mainconductor. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the lower half of the device. Fig. 4isavertical section through the device centrally and transversely ofFig." 2 and with the casing and downwardly extending conductor removed.Fig. 5 is a plan view of a sheet of mica or other insulation.

The device consists of two halves formed very much alike, and betweenwhich the main conductor 10 lies. The current normally passes throughthis conductor. In telephones, telegraphs, and the like, the normalcurrent is a weaklone as compared with the heavy voltage of a currentcaused by lightning or the contact of the main conductor 10 with aconductorcarrying a ourrunning proximity to the main conductor 10 thatrent of very high voltage. A conductorll to the ground is arranged insuch any excessive char e of voltage of current -will jump from t e mainconductor and 14 of the upper casing. This overla'pping.

portion 14 is provided with slots 15 on opposite sides and openingdownwardly and wide enough to receive the main conductor 10. Saidconductor 10' is insulated by the insulation 16' from the casing. Thetwo halves 12 and 13 of the casing are clamped together and on the mainWire 10 by screws 17 passing through the cars 18 on .the upper casing 12and screwing into the ears 19 projecting laterally from the lower casing13 through a notch or recess 20 in the lower edge of the upper casing12..

Within the upper casing 12 there is a round carbon block 21 and acorresponding carbon block 22 in the lower casin This latter carbonblock has a centra downwardly extending hole through it in which acopper tube 23 is secured and in which the ground-conductorll fits, andsaid conductor is held in place by the screw 24 that extends through aprojection 25 in the lower end of the casing 13. The copper tube 23eifects a 00d electrical connection between the car on block 22 and theground wire ll.

A pair of copper disks 26 are placed on the main conductor 10, one oneach side thereof and they are centrally grooved in order to fit aroundsaid conductor snugly, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 4. The are very thindisks, and between each 0 said disks and the carbon blocks 21 and 22above and below the same, a perforated insulation disk 27 is located.This is ordinarily made of mica and is rather thin, it being shownrelatively thicker in Figs. 2 and 4 than it should be, in order toplainly indicate it.

During travel of an ordinary current through the main Wire 10, therewould be no disposition on the part of the current to jump from saidwire to the carbon blocks because the perforated insulating disk 27holds said blocks 21 and 22 sufiiciently away from the copperdisks 26,butif a large enough charge of current is passing through the conductor10 to cause it to jump the short distance from the copper disks 26 tothe carbon blocks 21 and 22, such current will largely, if not entirely,short-circuit to the ground. Hence the thickness of the insulating disk27 may be varied to suit the position of use of the device for thevoltage of current passing through the same. When the current jumps fromthe conductor 10 and copper disks 26 to the carbon blocks it passesthrough theperforations or holes in the insulating disk 27. By providingsaid disk with a arge number of such holes and by the relativelyextended surface of said disk and the copper plates 26, there tion, sothat the device does not have to be replaced or given attention afterlightning or high voltage has passed through it to the ground. Nofurther attention is necessary than what is required at long intervalsto keep the device in general working order. This feature of use coupledwith the sim le and economical construction of the device renders it onthe whole an extremely cheap yet effective lightning arrester.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of. the class described including a main conducting wire, acarbon block on each side thereof, insulation between the carbon blocksand wire so as to s ace the blocks from the wire, means for c amping theblocks and insulation to the wire, and a ground wire running from one ofthe carhon blocks to the ground.

2. A device of the class described including a casing formed of twocup-like halves, adapted to place a main conductor, insulation betweensaid casing and a main conductor, a carbon block in each half of thecasing and on each side of the main conductor a disk of conductingmaterial on each side of the main conductor, a disk of insulatinmaterial between each carbon block an disk of conducting material, and aconductor running from the casing to the ground.

3. A device of the class described including a casing formed of twocup-like halves, one enlarged to overlap the other and the enlargedortion of said overlapping part of the casing being slotted on oppositesides so that said parts of the casin may embrace a main conductor,means in said slots for insulating said casin from the main conductor,means for c amping the two parts of the casing to ether, a disk ofconducting material adapte to be placed on each side of the mainconductor, a carbon block in each half of the casin one of themcentrally apertured, a per orated disk of insulatin material betweeneach carbon block and tie disk of conducting material, a tube fixed inthe aperture of one of said carbon blocks and made of conductingmaterial, and a conductor fitting in said tube in communication with theground.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presenceof the witnesses herein named.

MARION E. VAUGHN.

Witnesses:

G. H. Bomx, O. M. MCLAUGHLIN.

